These movies demonstrate key strategies for using important research tools.
Versions with audio narration are available for some topics. Movies will open in a new window as either a YouTube or Flash video.

net.TUTOR offers interactive tutorials on basic tools and techniques for becoming an effective Internet researcher.
This project is funded by an
Academic Enrichment Grant from The Ohio State University and was managed by
Nancy O'Hanlon from 1997-2008. Daniel Dotson assumed responsibility for the net.TUTOR program in 2009.

O'Hanlon, Nancy and Fred Roecker. "How Students Use Web-Based Tutorials and
Library Assignments: Case Studies from The Ohio State University Libraries." In
Racing Toward Tomorrow: Proceedings of the Ninth National Conference of the
Association of College and Research Libraries, April 8-11, 1999, edited by
Hugh A. Thompson, 335-41. Chicago: ACRL, 1999. Available at:
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlevents/ohanlon99.pdf [PDF]

The Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial license allows anyone
to use the work - to copy, distribute, display, or perform it, and
derivative works based on it - as long as the user gives proper
attribution to The Ohio State University Libraries, and as long as the
use is non-commercial. You may not resell net.TUTOR materials in any
form, nor charge others to access these materials.

Members of the Ohio State University community and others are
encouraged to use net.TUTOR as a personal learning aid or as a classroom
resource.

Tests that accompany net.TUTOR tutorials are available only for use
by OSU courses. Instructors who wish to assign these tests must contact
Karen Diaz, diaz.28@osu.edu
or submit the
score report formbefore directing students to the tutorials,
so that your class roster can be added to the list of authorized users.

Information for Students

Navigation

You may navigate via means of links at the top and bottom of each tutorial page.
In addition, each tutorial has a right-hand navigation menu and a list of
related tutorials.

Returning to a Tutorial

Take as long as you need to complete a tutorial. No registration is required to
use them and you can view them as many times as needed, even make bookmarks with
your browser so you can return later to particularly useful pages.

All links within a tutorial, except navigational links, should take you to a new
window/tab. Return to the original window to get back to the tutorial.

Taking Tests

If you are required to complete some tutorials for an OSU class, you must take
the tests that accompany those lessons in order for a grade to be recorded for
you and sent to your instructor.

When ready to take a test, click on the Test link at the top of any page in
that tutorial. In order to connect to the test, you must login to Carmen, the
OSU course management system, with your OSU Internet username and password (same
one used for OSU e-mail, etc.).

If you have not activated your OSU Internet account, you will not be able to
take these tests. You can
activate your account online or in person.

When you connect to the net.TUTOR site in Carmen, you will see links for all
available tests on the Quizzes page. The Grades page will show your scores for
any tests that you have completed.

Tests may be taken only once. Be sure to study the tutorial before taking the
test associated with it. And be sure to review your test answers before
submitting the test for grading.

Information for Instructors

Anyone can use net.TUTOR tutorials.
However, we offer graded quizzes in Carmen to accompany tutorials
for OSU instructors.

How well do your students use the Web? Can they locate relevant information
using Web search tools, recognize authoritative sites, make strategic decisions
about when the Web is likely to be a good source for their projects or provide
adequate documentation of their research? net.TUTOR was developed to help your
students master these research skills.

Ohio State University faculty and graduate teaching assistants can utilize
net.TUTOR with their classes in several ways:

Make a link from your course web page to net.TUTOR.

Assign net.TUTOR tutorials to your class. Use the online form
(link below) to let us know about your assignment.

About the Tutorials

A variety of lessons covering important concepts are available. Each tutorial
includes a series of instructional screens which offer illustrations and
practice opportunities along with supplementary materials (sources for further
reading, quick guides). Unscored pop quiz questions are provided to
reinforce learning.

Each net.TUTOR tutorial is accompanied by a test, which is specially
designed for OSU course assignments. Students login to
Carmen, the OSU course management system, with their OSU Internet
username and password to get access to the tests and to view their grades.

Each test in net.TUTOR consists of ten multiple choice questions. The maximum
score on any test is 100 percent. Scores of 80 percent or above reflect good
understanding of the fundamental concepts in the lesson. Each test may be
taken only once.

If you want your OSU class to be able to take net.TUTOR tests, you must contact
us in advance so that your class roster can be added to the Carmen
system.

Creating Your Assignment

How many/which lessons should you assign? There's no easy answer to this
question. Many new students arrive on campus with some prior knowledge of the
Internet (browsing, e-mail). A much smaller number possess significant Web
research skills.

Feedback from students and instructors indicates that it is probably best to
tell students how many lessons to complete but do not specify particular ones.
This allows the novice user to choose from the basic lessons that meet their
needs and the more experienced students, or those who may have used the program
in another class, to find more advanced material that is not redundant.

The average student will spend about 20 minutes per tutorial. Lessons offer
optional activities at many points. Those who complete activities may take 30-40
minutes to finish a lesson.

Pointers for Your Students

Be sure to tell students that:

They must complete the test that accompanies a tutorial in order for
their work to be reported to you.

They must have activated their OSU Internet account in order to get
access to the tests. Any problems with this account should be reported to OIT by
phoning 688-HELP.

Students should read the information in the student section above for advice on getting started and solutions to frequently occurring
problems. There are also a series of Help screens available within the program.

OSU Libraries Credit Courses

This site includes tutorials, guides, and movies.
Click the tabs to move around. Want to learn more? Consider our Credit Courses.

net.TUTOR Contributors

These people have contributed significantly to net.TUTOR's past and present content: